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Remembering the Battle of Okinawa; lessons learned for future fights

Marines wade ashore on Okinawa, Japan, April 1,1945. [Credit: U.S. Navy]

 

 

By David Vergun, United States Department of Defense

The Battle of Okinawa, code named Operation Iceberg, was World War II's largest and bloodiest battle in the Pacific Theater. The landings on the Japanese island by joint U.S. and Allied forces took place 80 years ago, April 1, 1945, lasting until June 22, 1945. It was the last major battle of the war.

Army Lt. Gen. Simon Bolivar Buckner Jr., who commanded the Tenth Army, led the invasion. The Tenth Army was a composite unit comprising the Army's 7th, 27th, 77th, and 96th infantry divisions, the 1st, 2nd, and 6th Marine divisions, as well as a joint Army/Marine Corps tactical air force.

Soldiers numbered approximately 102,000, Marines 88,000, and Navy 18,000, the latter of which were mostly medical personnel and Seabees. The Navy supported the landings by bombarding enemy positions and providing aircraft, landing ships, and landing craft. The Coast Guard also provided maritime support.

The joint force was supported by partner nations, including the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, and Canada.

Opposing the Allied troops on the ground was Japanese Lt. Gen. Mitsuru Ushijima's 32nd Army -- a mixed force consisting of regular soldiers, airmen, naval infantry, and conscripted Okinawans. The total Japanese troop strength on the island was about 100,000 as of the landing date, April 1, 1945.

The landings were relatively unopposed because the Japanese refused to fight on the beaches. Instead, they withdrew into caves in the rocky hills to force a battle of attrition.

That strategy worked, as U.S. casualties were staggering. More than 12,000 U.S. soldiers, sailors, and Marines died during the battle.

In the waters around Okinawa, the Japanese launched the largest kamikaze, or suicide, attack of the war. Japanese planes rammed into Allied ships, sinking 26 and severely damaging 168. Almost 40% of the U.S. casualties during the battle were sailors lost in these attacks.

The battleship USS Idaho shells Okinawa, Japan, April 1,1945. [Credit: U.S. Navy]

 

 

The Japanese military suffered even more, losing almost their entire force, including many who committed suicide. Around the same number of Okinawan civilians were killed or committed suicide.

On May 29, 1945, a Confederate flag was raised over Shuri Castle before being removed and replaced by an American flag three days later, on Buckner's orders.

What makes this flag story interesting is that Buckner's father, Simon Bolivar Buckner, was a Confederate Army brigadier general and later governor of Kentucky.

Buckner was among the Americans killed on Okinawa. He was hit by Japanese artillery fire, June 18, 1945, while checking on the progress of his troops at the front. He was the highest-ranking U.S. military officer killed during World War II.

Buckner was replaced by Marine Corps Maj. Gen. Roy Geiger, making him the only Marine to ever command such a large outfit on the battlefield.

Geiger was relieved five days later by Army Gen. Joseph "Vinegar Joe" Stilwell.

Army Brig. Gen. Claudius Miller Easley, commander of the 96th Infantry Division, was also killed. He died by Japanese machine-gun fire June 19, 1945, while checking on the progress of his troops.

On April 18, 1945, war correspondent Ernie Pyle was also killed by Japanese machine gun fire on Ie Shima, a small island just off the Okinawan coast. He was among the best-known war correspondents, remembered for his stories about junior soldiers in both the European and Pacific theaters.

The Battle of Okinawa was a series of separate battles fought throughout the island, mostly in the south, including the battle for Hacksaw Ridge. Army medic Cpl. Desmond T. Doss rescued 75 of his wounded comrades during that battle. For his valor, he received the Medal of Honor, Oct. 12, 1945. Doss was a conscientious objector who refused to carry a weapon or kill the enemy. The 2016 movie, "Hacksaw Ridge," portrays his story.

Soldiers of the 77th Infantry Division listen impassively to radio reports of Victory in Europe Day, May 8, 1945. [Credit: U.S. Army]

 

 

Although the battle was declared over June 22, 1945, some Japanese continued hiding in caves, including the future governor of Okinawa Prefecture, Masahide Ōta.

Ushijima committed suicide in his command headquarters in the closing hours of the battle. His chief of staff, Col. Hiromichi Yahara, asked Ushijima for permission also to commit suicide, but the general refused his request, saying: "If you die, there will be no one left who knows the truth about the Battle of Okinawa. Bear the temporary shame but endure it."

Yahara was the most senior Japanese officer to survive the battle, and he later authored the book, "The Battle for Okinawa."

Although the Allies planned to use Okinawa as a base to attack mainland Japan, dubbed Operation Downfall, Japan surrendered unconditionally Aug. 15, 1945.

In 1972, the U.S. returned Okinawa to Japanese control. Today, Japan is a valued ally of the United States.

Author Christopher L. Kolakowski describes many of the lessons learned from the battle in his May 8, 2024, article, "Okinawa 1945 and Lessons for Island Battles," which was printed in the Air Force's "Journal of Indo-Pacific Affairs."

"All three services -- land, sea, and air -- had to synchronize their efforts to secure victory," he wrote. "The success of any single service was contingent upon the cooperation and effectiveness of the others. This principle applied equally to both American and Japanese forces, underscoring the indispensability of joint operations."

Kolakowski noted that some of the lessons learned from the battle can be applied to a possible future battle over Taiwan.

Soldiers of the 96th Infantry Division attack a Japanese position on Big Apple Ridge, Okinawa, Japan, June 9, 1945. [Credit: U.S. Army]

 

 

The article states that fighting around Taiwan, encompassing the region of the Taiwan Strait, would likely mirror the patterns observed on Okinawa. It would involve assaults on surface vessels from both aircraft and missiles and a contest to establish and maintain air dominance.

In a potential conflict, the proximity of bases will be a critical factor, as having them closer to the theater of operations conserves resources and strengthens operational efficiency. Kolakowski said this consideration raises inquiries about the roles of various locations, including the South China Sea islands, the coastal islands of Quemoy and Matsu, and the Penghu archipelago, in any prospective invasion scenario for Taiwan.

With modern weaponry, such an operation would necessitate covering a battlespace at least as expansive as Operation Iceberg's, if not greater. Kolakowski writes that the expanded battlespace would undoubtedly impact U.S. bases in the Indo-Pacific region, including Okinawa, Guam, South Korea, the Philippines, and Japan itself.

Read more Department of Defense news at defense.gov/News/.

Published April 2025

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